


Language of the Body

by pushingcrazies



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:38:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushingcrazies/pseuds/pushingcrazies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A love story in two acts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Huge huge thanks to kiranwearsscienceblues for beta'ing and to the-andorian-mining-consortium for their lovely artwork!

Hoshi’s hands in her hair was quite possible the most erotic thing T’Pol had ever experienced.  Not that it was meant to be, of course - and as a Vulcan, T’Pol was quite adept at ignoring the…sensations currently setting her nerves aflame - but it would be illogical to deny the truth:  _Hoshi Sato had the hands of a goddess_.

 

T’Pol sat perfectly straight on the bench in Decon, putting every ounce of concentration into not reacting to Hoshi’s touch.  The ensign was certainly being…thorough, T’Pol thought with a slight grimace.  It was an exquisite torture and T’Pol silently dared any Vulcan to be subjected to such talented ministrations and not react the same way.  It was impossible.

 

One finger brushed against the tip of T’Pol’s ear, causing her to inhale sharply.  “Sorry,” Hoshi murmured, not pausing even for a second.  She scooped extra Decon Gel 8 - or whatever the hell it was - from a lock of hair and moved on to the back of T’Pol’s neck.

 

T’Pol wanted to snap at her to be careful, that Vulcan ears were sensitive, thank you very much, but to show anger would be to acknowledge just how badly Hoshi’s touch was affecting her.  Besides, it would be unfair to Hoshi - it wasn’t like she was doing this on purpose…right?  “It’s quite alright, Ensign,” T’Pol said.  Her voice betrayed nothing.  “Please be more careful, though.”

 

"Almost done," Hoshi said, voice still low and soothing.

 

T’Pol’s gut clenched with disappointment.  Behind her, Hoshi giggled.

 

T’Pol raised an eyebrow.  “Is something funny?”

 

"No," Hoshi said quickly, unconvincingly.  Noting her faux pas, she added, "It’s more like you reminded me of something funny."

 

T’Pol didn’t much care to be laughed at, directly or not, but at least the conversation was taking her mind off of Hoshi’s hands.  “What would that be?”

 

"I’d…really rather not say, Ma’am."  Hoshi’s hands sped up their movements, less intimate now, more focused on finishing quickly.  At least the impersonal touch worked to cool T’Pol’s ardor, though she missed the feeling.

 

"Enlighten me," T’Pol said mildly.  "I’m often at a loss as to what amuses Humans and why.  Consider it… a lesson in humour for me.  Commander Tucker often tells me I need to work on my sense of humour."

 

"Well it’s just…you reminded me of my cat for a moment," Hoshi said.  Her hands paused, lingering with memory.

 

"Your cat," T’Pol repeated, nonplussed.

 

"Yeah…back home.  My pet cat.  I left her with my parents when I started teaching.  She would get the same look on her face when I was petting her that you just had.  I half expected you to start purring," Hoshi said.  She giggled nervously.  "Sorry.  I don’t know why I thought that."

 

"It’s fine, Ensign," T’Pol said.  "Perhaps when we get back to Earth you will let me meet your…cat."  She stood up and gestured for Hoshi to take her seat.

 

"Oh."  Hoshi turned bright red.  "I can do my own hair if…" she faltered.

 

T’Pol raised an eyebrow again.  “Doctor Phlox said we must be sure to get the gel everywhere,” she reminded Hoshi.  That is why we agreed it would be more efficient to do each other’s hair.”

"I know but I thought…Vulcan hands are so sensitive I figured…it’d probably be more comfortable for you if I did my own hair."

 

T’Pol felt a flash of irritation but she tamped it down.  If she didn’t realise the last fifteen minutes had _already_ been uncomfortable for her… “I will be fine.  If you are worried about stray thoughts, use the meditation technique I taught you.”  She gestured for Hoshi to sit.  When the ensign still hesitated, T’Pol felt her patience slip just a little.  “Your hair is much longer than mine and there is greater chance you will miss some.  If you were to succumb to this virus when there is something to be done to prevent it-“

 

Hoshi held up her hands in a gesture T’Pol had come to recognise as surrender; it still amazed her that some Humans even knew what “surrender” was.  “Alright,” Hoshi said.  “Just give me a moment to get into the breathing pattern.”

 

T’Pol wondered what sort of thoughts Hoshi wished to hide from her.  Whatever they were, they couldn’t possibly be as…graphic as the ones T’Pol had been entertaining just a moment ago.

 

Could they?

 

To pry into Hoshi’s thoughts would be a gross invasion of privacy.  T’Pol was a better person than that, could control herself better than that.  Still, she longed to take a peek inside Hoshi’s mind…Humans were ever so much more imaginative than Vulcans.  Whatever fantasies she harboured therein were bound to be stimulating…

 

"I’m ready," Hoshi murmured.

 

T’Pol braced herself as she lathered Decon Gel 8 into Hoshi’s scalp.  One day she might discuss the possibility of a sexual relationship with Hoshi.  One day when she wasn’t T’Pol’s subordinate and T’Pol was certain her feelings were reciprocated and there was no danger of an unpleasant working situation if things soured…

  
One day.


	2. Act 1

T’Pol woke with a strange taste in her mouth

 

A strange taste, stiff limbs, a crick in her neck, and what appeared to be a small, furry lump on her chest.

 

A _purring_ , furry lump.

 

Hoshi’s cat, T’Pol remembered.  Enterprise had returned to Earth at last and its crew was enjoying some well-earned R&R, as Trip put it.  True to her word from several months ago, Hoshi had offered to take T’Pol with her to visit her parents and her cat.  To say T’Pol had been surprised was an understatement; she had fully expected Hoshi to have forgotten about such a nonchalant request by now.  Yet the ensign had been the one to bring it up, tentatively, as if she expected T’Pol to have forgotten or to admit she only suggested it out of a misplaced politeness.  T’Pol had readily agreed.  Together they traveled to Kyoto, Japan, where T’Pol had been welcomed graciously by Mr. and Mrs. Sato and introduced to little Kiku as promised.  That had been two days ago.

 

It didn’t explain how T’Pol found herself waking up on a Western-style couch in the Satos’ living room with a purring lump of cat on her chest.  She vaguely remembered sitting down at some point, stretching her legs across the cushions, and the cat jumping onto her lap.  Eventually, her posture had become somewhat more horizontal and then...what?

 

“Oh, you’re awake,” a soft voice said somewhere behind T’Pol’s line of vision.  She tried to crane her neck around to see the source but stopped when a sharp pain shot through it.  “I hope I didn’t disturb you.  Kiku, come here.”  A pair of hands - Hoshi’s, T’Pol could now see - swooped down to gently pull the cat off of T’Pol, who sat up gingerly.  Hoshi retreated to a nearby armchair, the cat purring louder than ever in her arms.

 

“You did not disturb me,” T’Pol assured her.  “I did not intend to fall asleep.”

 

“That’s what’s great about naps,” Hoshi said, grinning.  “You never really intend them - they just happen.”

 

“Vulcans do not nap,” T’Pol said archly.

 

Two years ago, that sort of thing said in that sort of tone would have sent Hoshi into a flustered embarrassment and had her stammering out an apology.  Now, however, she just laughed and continued to pet her cat.  “My parents went out for the evening.  They’ve had tickets to this opera for ages and they didn’t know we’d be here.  I told them it was fine, that I could keep you entertained for one evening.  They wanted to let you know they’re very sorry though.  They would’ve told you themselves but it looked like you needed the sleep.”  The last bit was said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

 

T’Pol chose not to dignify that with an answer and instead ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to dislodge the taste of stale breath.  “What opera are they seeing?”

 

“A new one based on our first contact.”  Hoshi rolled her eyes.  “I didn’t really relish the idea of watching a bunch of Humans put pointed tips on their ears and screech about the danger of emotions.”

 

T’Pol raised an eyebrow.  “Is that how most Humans view our first contact?”

 

“It’s how a lot of artists seem to view it.  They seem to think art and logic are mutually exclusive, never mind the rich cultural and artistic heritage your people brought with them.  There are a lot of people here who feel that if your art is not created with emotion, it’s not truly art.”

 

“Is that how you feel?” T’Pol asked, leaning forward slightly, intrigued.

 

Hoshi’s eyes widened.  “No way.  I mean not that the two are mutually exclusive or anything, but I think Vulcan art has way more emotion in it than either Vulcans or Humans are willing to admit.  But there’s been a huge backlash in several artistic communities, especially writing and drama: gratuitous overuse of ethos and sensationalism, overacting, sentimentalism.  I’m not really a fan.  I prefer the simplicity and understatement of emotion that Vulcans favour, I guess.”

 

“I have found that Human art induces a stronger reaction due to its use of emotionalism,” T’Pol said.  “However, that does not necessarily make it better.  Sometimes a strong reaction may put a person off rather than draw them into the work.”

 

“Right, exactly.”  Hoshi also leaned forward, causing Kiku to let out a mewl of distress.  “I don’t want other people’s emotions foisted on me; I want to feel them for myself.  I want my reaction and interpretation to be my own.”

 

“What is your take on-” Whatever T’Pol had been about to say was cut off abruptly when her neck spasmed again, causing her to inhale sharply.  She touched the offending spot to absolutely no effect whatsoever.

 

Hoshi was by her side in less than a second, leaving behind a rather miffed Kiku.  “Are you okay?”

 

“I seem to have strained a muscle in my neck.”  She winced.  “Perhaps several.”

 

Hoshi sat down gingerly next to T’Pol, peering at her neck.  There wasn’t much room on the couch, since T’Pol was still sitting across most of it, and the Vulcan was quite aware of how near Hoshi’s body was to her own.  Hands ghosted over her neck as if they longed to touch but were denied the pleasure of doing so.  “One of the downsides of falling asleep on a couch: they’re not very comfortable and wreak havoc on your body.”

 

T’Pol arched her neck slightly backwards so that Hoshi’s hands brushed against her skin.  The touch sizzled between them, causing Hoshi to yank her hands back as though burned.  “Sorry,” she murmured as though it had been her fault.

 

T’Pol would have sighed if she were any species other than Vulcan.  Most Humans had absolutely no problem touching T’Pol whether she wanted them to or not, telepathy and cultural preferences notwithstanding.  They either didn’t think of T’Pol’s discomfort with touch or they didn’t care enough to curb their own habits.  But of course, Hoshi was different - that was part of the reason T’Pol enjoyed her company so much.  She knew enough about Vulcan culture to know that casual touch was strictly verboten, and she respected cultural differences enough that she actually followed the rules.  But now when T’Pol was trying to subtly indicate that touch would not only be okay but in fact would be actively welcomed, Hoshi remained oblivious.  How did one go about asking for a favour when one was a guest in the person’s house and had just fallen asleep on their couch?

 

Hoshi, meanwhile, gave no indication she was even remotely aware of T’Pol’s quandary.  She distanced herself as far from T’Pol as she could without leaving the vicinity of the couch, saying, “Maybe a hot bath would help, though our bathtub isn’t much more comfortable than the couch.  I think Mom has a heating pad around here somewhere, that should loosen the muscles up a bit.  You could use that while I get started on dinner?  If you’re hungry, that is.”

 

“I think it’s still a bit early for dinner,” T’Pol said.  The nearby chronometer said it was only half past four in the afternoon and surely whatever Hoshi had in mind to cook wouldn’t take hours to prepare.  “And I doubt a heating pad would work as well on my muscles as it would on a human’s.”  She reached up to massage the offended muscles a little.  That helped, but only a little.

 

“If Trip were here he could do that Vulcan neuropressure thing for you,” Hoshi said.

 

T’Pol wished Hoshi wouldn’t keep sitting outside of her line of vision; it was rather difficult to talk to someone you couldn’t see, and turning her neck that far around was out of the question right now.  “Perhaps you would be willing to stand in for him?”

 

“Me?” Hoshi asked.  T’Pol could hear the frown in her voice.  “I don’t know anything about neuropressure.”

 

T’Pol reached out blindly, fumbling for Hoshi’s hand.  Sensing what she wanted, Hoshi reached out for her.  T’Pol guided her hand to her neck, to the distressed muscles.  “Nothing as involved as neuropressure is needed, I assure you.  I have overheard Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather say that your skills as a masseuse are unparalleled.  Perhaps you would do me the honour of demonstrating?”

 

“Oh, that,” Hoshi said.  Her tone was dismissive, bordering on scornful.  “I’m not particularly good.  I think they just didn’t want to have Doctor Phlox laying his hands on them.  Denobulans’ idea of massage therapy differs greatly from Humans’ or Vulcans’.”  In spite of her words, her fingers were moving tentatively over T’Pol’s neck, feeling out the knots and strains, prodding gently here or there.

 

“I think they were more correct than you give yourself credit for,” T’Pol murmured.  Even these light touches felt good; if she wasn’t careful she might end up falling asleep again.

 

“Here, hold on.  We might as well do this properly.  I’m going to get some massage oil.  I think Mom ought to have some in her and Dad’s bathroom.  Why don’t you go into my room?  The bed’ll be more comfortable than this couch.”  Hoshi stood up and walked out of the room, passing T’Pol in order to do so.  T’Pol caught the barest whiff of...something.  Something quite promising, she felt.

 

Hoshi’s room was minimalistic, unlike the rest of the house.  Technically it had been a guest room ever since Hoshi had left for the Academy, but she had moved a lot of her stuff back in when Archer recruited her to Enterprise.  Most of it was still stored in boxes in the closet, though, so the room itself was empty and spacious.  A simple Japanese-style futon took up one corner and that was where T’Pol headed.

 

She knelt on the thin mattress, wondering if she ought to lie down.  She realised her heart was beating faster than normal.  A few steadying breathing exercises slowed it down to its normal rate but she could not deny that she was edgy, almost...nervous.  Something was going to change tonight, for better or for worse.  Not even her Vulcan discipline could ignore that fact.

 

Hoshi entered the room and slid the door shut, her eyes focused on the bottle in her hands.  “It says it’s unscented but that usually means it still has a little bit of a smell.  Is that okay?”

 

“That will be fine,” T’Pol said.  “How would you like me?”

 

Hoshi glanced at her, blushing.  “Oh, um...just like that is fine.  Maybe more towards the center of the bed.”

 

T’Pol shifted so that she was kneeling in the exact center of the bed, legs tucked under her, back ramrod straight.  She felt the mattress dip as Hoshi knelt behind her, heard the soft click of the bottle opening, smelled the slick oily smell of the lotion.  She closed her eyes when Hoshi placed gentle hands on her neck, the better to feel every sensation.  Hoshi’s fingers felt around a moment, finding the most tender spots, warming up the muscles.  She positioned T’Pol’s neck for ease of access, then spread a small dollop of massage oil onto her hands.

 

And that was when T’Pol was certain she had found the true definition of the word ‘bliss.’

 

Hoshi’s hands were gentle but strong; she kneaded and moulded the muscles back into their proper formation.  The thin fingers were perfect for digging into the tightest spots and easing away the tension.  She seemed to realise she was not going to break T’Pol by pushing too hard, so she did not hold back, but nor did she half-strangle her like Phlox accidentally did the one time she had made the mistake of asking him to massage a strained muscle.

 

“Relax your shoulders,” Hoshi murmured.

 

T’Pol obeyed.  “It seems Reed and Mayweather were not exaggerating their claims about your skills.”

 

Hoshi did not say anything to that; instead she moved her hands up into T’Pol’s hair and began lightly massaging her scalp.

 

Apparently T’Pol had been wrong before - _this_ was the definition of the word bliss.

 

She felt boneless; it was impossible to maintain her normally rigid posture.  Her back slumped ever so slightly and her head dropped forward.  Behind her, Hoshi giggled.

 

“You really are like Kiku.  A little head rub and you become liquid.”

 

T’Pol made a noise that may have been disagreement, may have been consternation, may have been a moan of pleasure - it was hard to say.  Whatever it was, it made Hoshi laugh again, a pleasant little sound.  “You’re going to need to fix your hair after this.”

 

The hands disappeared from her scalp but T’Pol barely had time to register her disappointment before they reappeared, this time digging into her shoulders almost too roughly.  T’Pol winced, and Hoshi readjusted her grip.  “Sorry.”

 

T’Pol’s shirt was made of a fine, silky material that slipped and puddled under Hoshi’s hands, making it near impossible for her to get a decent grip.  She gamely gave it her best shot but when that didn’t seem to be working, she moved on to T’Pol’s back where she encountered the same problem.  She tried pushing the shirt up out of the way so that she could at least work on the lowest muscles, but the way it rucked up was uncomfortable for T’Pol.  She reached around to still Hoshi’s hands for a moment.  “Hold on.”

 

She undid the clasps on her shirt and shrugged it off.  She wasn’t wearing an undershirt, but that didn’t particularly bother her.  It might bother Hoshi, though; Humans were weird about breasts, even the females.  It was the oddest thing - Humans were generally very free about sex and sexual differences, but as soon as breasts became involved, everyone got uncomfortable.  Vulcans, on the other hand, preferred to keep quiet about sexual practices but were rather more open with their bodies when it was necessary.  No one went out of their way to display nudity but if a situation arose wherein it became unavoidable (feeding a baby in public or a medical emergency), Vulcans were very practical about it.

 

“Is this alright?” she asked, not turning around.

 

“It’s fine,” Hoshi said, a breathless quality to her voice that made T’Pol arch her eyebrow.  “I mean not _fine_ like...like anything weird.  Just fine like if you’re okay with it, I’m okay with it.  D’you...should you maybe lie down or something?”

 

Yes, humans were definitely weird about breasts.

 

T’Pol lay down on her stomach, arms loose at her sides and head turned so that her face wouldn’t be smashed into the mattress.  It probably wasn’t ideal for her newly relaxed neck, but it seemed to make Hoshi more comfortable.  Hoshi shifted closer so that her right leg was pressed up against T’Pol’s left arm, and set to work on T’Pol’s back.

 

“What were you going to ask me?” Hoshi asked after a minute of awkward silence.  In spite of a slight shakiness in her voice, her hands were steady and cool, made cooler by the massage oil.

 

“When?”

 

“Earlier.  When we were talking about emotion in Art.  You started to ask me what was my take on something but your neck started acting up and we got a little sidetracked.”

 

“I want to know what your take is on those Vulcan novels I loaned you,” T’Pol said.  “ _Sun Below_ is considered one of the greatest works of literature our culture has produced in the last five hundred years.”

 

“Well, I did start reading it but I got a little...distracted.  I remembered one of my old professors had talked about an English translation of _Sun Below_ so I was curious to see how the translator had interpreted the gradually-escalating repetition of water-related motifs throughout the first half.  Turns out she barely paid any attention to them at all, let alone did them any justice.”  The more she talked, the more confident her voice became, though her hands remained as steady as ever.  “So I sort of...may have started translating it as I’m reading.”

 

“I am impressed,” T’Pol admitted.

 

“Don’t be until you read my translation,” Hoshi said.  “I’m not sure even I can do Vulcan subtlety justice; English is just too clumsy a language.”

 

“What about another Earth language?  One with more finesse?”

 

Hoshi shook her head - T’Pol could just barely see the movement out of the corner of her eye.  “English was the language the other translator used, so that’s the one I’m going with.  I’m not saying it can’t have a certain degree of subtlety but it takes a lot of fine-tuning to get it to the same level as the Vulcan language, yet not be so subtle that the reader misses the point.”

 

“Wouldn’t the reader lack the ability to grasp the point anyway?” T’Pol asked.  “Most Humans would read a Vulcan novel from a Human standpoint and not take into account Vulcan history and culture.”

 

“Maybe,” Hoshi said.  “But that’s no excuse for shitty translating.”

 

T’Pol pushed herself up slightly so that she could look at Hoshi.  “‘Shitty’?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow.  It was the sort of language she would expect from Trip or maybe Lieutenant Reed if he’d forgotten T’Pol was nearby, but never from Hoshi.

 

Hoshi pushed T’Pol back into position.  “You heard me.  There’s no other way to describe it.”

 

T’Pol folded her arms and rested her head on them.  “Disgraceful,” she suggested.  “Poor.  Unimaginative.  Inauthentic.”

 

“Shitty,” Hoshi said.  “It sums it up quite nicely plus it has that bit of shock factor.  It certainly got your attention.”  She dug her thumbs into a particularly hard knot in T’Pol’s lower back.  T’Pol arched into Hoshi’s touch, guiding her hands silently.

 

“Shitty,” she said, trying the word out on her tongue.  Beside her, Hoshi giggled.

 

“It sounds weird coming from you,” Hoshi said.

 

“So you will do a better translation than this...shitty one that did not do the text justice at all, and you will publish it?”

 

“Oh, no.  Nothing like that.  I’m only doing it for myself,” Hoshi said.

 

“Why?  You don’t think other readers have the right to a better translation?”

 

“Who am I to argue with a world-renowned scholar?” Hoshi asked.

 

“You are Ensign Hoshi Sato of the starship Enterprise,” T’Pol said, as if that explained everything.  In her mind, it did.

 

“Right, exactly.  Just some young Ensign who shouldn’t even be that,” Hoshi said.

 

T’Pol sat up and turned so that she was directly facing Hoshi, who was staring down at her own hands.  Or maybe she was staring at T’Pol’s hands, which were currently reaching for hers, taking hers, grasping hers.  They had gone around and around on this subject over the last couple of years - T’Pol telling Hoshi she was better than she thought she was, Hoshi demurring out of a misplaced sense of humility.  T’Pol was done arguing with her, so she let her affection and admiration speak for her, through her telepathic touch.  Hoshi alone out of all Humanity would understand just how intimate a touch like this was for a Vulcan.  Others might have a vague sense of it, but only Hoshi had spent the last couple years in close quarters with a Vulcan and fully immersed herself in the practices, language, and culture thereof.  (An argument could be made that since Trip had started Vulcan neuropressure sessions with T’Pol, he too had developed an understanding of Vulcan culture but T’Pol didn’t want to think about Trip, not right now, not while she had Hoshi’s hands in hers and was caressing them and….)

 

“You,” T’Pol said, speaking slowly and deliberately, “have more intelligence and practical experience than any accredited scholar.  To quote Commander Tucker, you could run circles around any of them.  The Captain knows it - that’s why he chose you instead of any of them.  I know it.  All of Enterprise knows it.”

 

Hoshi continued to stare at their intertwined hands, meeting caress with caress.  A moment of fumbling and then two fingers met two fingers - a gesture so intimate on Vulcan that it was often likened to the way human couples kiss.  It was impossible to say who initiated it; it was impossible to care.  T’Pol’s breath caught in her throat.  Hoshi glanced shyly up at her.

 

“I will not be deterred,” T’Pol said, though her voice was not altogether steady.  “Promise me when you finish with your translation you will take it to an editor for publication.  And if they will not have you, take it to one who will.  If no one will listen to you, then I will talk to my people and have them publish it on Vulcan.  Or we can find a way for you to self-publish it.  My culture deserves more than a shitty translation by someone who barely understands it.”

 

Hoshi nodded solemnly.  “I promise.”

 

“Good.”  T’Pol disengaged her hands from Hoshi’s, and there was a moment of unconcealed panic on Hoshi’s face but then T’Pol’s hands were behind her head, on her face, and she was pulling her closer until their lips met in a hesitant, delicate kiss.

 

T’Pol had gone through this moment countless times in her imagination, thought of every possible scenario and every reason why she should or should not go through with this if given the chance.  Hoshi would make an ideal mate; Hoshi might not desire a long-term relationship.  Hoshi was so young - nearly forty years T’Pol’s junior; her intellectual maturity far surpassed most Humans and indeed some Vulcans.  She was a Human; a Human who understood Vulcans and Vulcan culture.

 

It was the intelligence factor that ultimately tipped the scales, that fine balance between emotion and reasoning that came so naturally to Hoshi yet T’Pol struggled with every day.  Hoshi’s intellect was not diminished by her outbursts of emotion, and may have even been enhanced by them; T’Pol craved more than anything to find out how and why and if she, a Vulcan, could somehow find the same peace of mind.  Trip often teased her, saying Vulcans treated emotions like Humans treated alcoholism - he didn’t seem to understand how very right he was.  It was an addiction, pure and simple.  To see inside Hoshi’s mind, to experience her vibrant emotions vicariously, was a need as powerful as trellium-D.

 

Now, with their lips pressed against each other, tongues moving tentatively, T’Pol felt closer than ever to discovering that balance between emotions and logic.  Some distant, half-mad part of T’Pol wondered if she kissed Hoshi harder, touched her all over, outside, inside, she could somehow absorb everything about Hoshi into herself, could vicariously become as carefree as any human.  Her hands threaded through Hoshi’s thick hair, clenching hard to stop herself from going too quickly.  A whine built up in her throat, as desperate for release as the rest of her.  She desired not so much sex as complete and total immersion.  The kiss sped up, gained fervor as Hoshi found confidence in T’Pol’s unguarded touch.  Her own hands, which had hitherto rested hesitant in her lap, suddenly jumped into action, grabbing T’Pol’s face to pull them closer, ever closer, trying just as hard as T’Pol was to merge two beings into one.  Her hands - those magic hands - drifted up into her hair, finding every spot that was guaranteed to turn T’Pol into a boneless pile of nerves.  It was electric, it was overwhelming, it was scorching, it was bliss.

 

T’Pol broke the kiss, breathing heavily; Hoshi seemed to have stopped breathing at all.  Her eyes were clouded over with lust, and the whole room reeked with the smell of Human arousal.  It was intoxicating in a way T’Pol had never experienced before.  Her hands were shaking.  She scooted backwards until her back hit the wall, cool and bracing and so refreshingly solid.  Hoshi watched her warily, as if expecting at any moment for T’Pol to suddenly change her mind.  T’Pol wondered if she should say something, but nothing seemed adequate - instead she made a small gesture and the next thing she knew Hoshi was straddling her lap and kissing her and hands flew all over her body, wrenching a small groan from the back of her throat.  Yes, this.  This.  This was what she had been searching for, longing for, waiting for her entire life it seemed.

 

T’Pol tugged at Hoshi’s shirt, lifting it over her head, but this required them to stop kissing and for Hoshi’s hands to stop touching T’Pol’s overheated skin, and that clearly would not do at all.  Shirt and undershirt off at the same time to minimise loss of contact and now Hoshi pressed her small body up against T’Pol’s in a way that nearly caused both of their brains to short-circuit.  Hips made small jerking movements as Hoshi failed to control her body’s automatic responses.  Hands everywhere, touching, feeling, caressing, rubbing.  Hoshi pulled away for a moment to push T’Pol flat onto the bed, and T’Pol allowed herself to be laid out.  Positioned.  Explored and memorised by that brilliant, wonderful, gorgeous mind.

 

Hoshi sat back on her heels for a moment, taking in the view in front of her: T’Pol, topless and breathless and waiting for her to make her next move.  Compliant.  Not quite submissive, never quite submissive, but willing to be directed.  Not out of control, but just letting control be someone else’s problem for a moment.  Hoshi ran one hand lightly down T’Pol’s ribcage just to watch the muscles jump and twitch under her touch.  Electric.  Her hand came to the waistband of T’Pol’s pants and didn’t hesitate, just continued on down over the pants, down T’Pol’s leg to her knee and back up again, up the inner thigh this time, setting T’Pol’s nerves on fire.  Her hips bucked of their own accord, but she was too far gone to be embarrassed or to acknowledge how very unVulcan such a response was.

 

Hoshi, mercifully, stopped teasing at this point and brought both hands up to T’Pol’s breasts, thumbing at the nipples and leaning down to lick at them with her little pink tongue.  T’Pol pushed her away as gently as she could.  “Vulcans - we don’t-” she gasped but couldn’t find the proper words to explain that Vulcan nipples weren’t as sensitive as Human ones, that they were barely considered an erogenous zone at all.

 

Hoshi got her point.  “Well we do,” she said, lying down next to T’Pol and guiding one of her hands to her breast.  T’Pol took the hint: Hoshi was in charge right now and would be given exactly what she desired.  T’Pol was only too willing to obey.

 

She rolled over and slung one leg over Hoshi’s, in between her thighs, so that their legs were intertwined and their nude upper bodies rubbed delightfully against each other.  She squeezed and pinched the closest nipple, playing with it until she found the magic touch that made Hoshi’s back arch and wrenched moans out of her lungs.  She did the same to the other nipple.  She slid down slightly until she could use her mouth on one and her fingers on the other, and this was too much.  Hoshi ground her hips against T’Pol’s leg, but the angle was awkward and she couldn’t get any decent amount of friction.  She cursed in frustration.

 

T’Pol released the nipple she had in her mouth and kissed her way up to Hoshi’s mouth while her hand drifted down Hoshi’s arm and once more intertwined their fingers.  It wasn’t as potent a sensation as it would be with another Vulcan - the dual touch telepathy would cause a feedback loop that amplified sensitivity to unimaginable degrees - but T’Pol was beyond caring.  She was acting mostly on instinct now, with little regard for the part of her brain still trying to cling to logic.  Hoshi attacked her mouth, biting and nipping as though to punish T’Pol for some unknown crime.  Things were escalating out of control and they didn’t even have their pants off yet.

 

T’Pol disentangled her hand from Hoshi’s, got as good a grip on her rear as she could reach, and flipped the both of them so that T’Pol was once more flat on her back and Hoshi was lying on top of her.  Hoshi pushed herself into a sitting position and looked down on T’Pol.  Her eyes clouded with lust, she looked like some erotic goddess - Aphrodite maybe, or T’Lang of ancient Vulcan mythology.  Her hands braced against T’Pol’s stomach for balance; her hair was a wild mess; she looked like she might fall apart at any moment.

 

She was the only thing holding T’Pol together right now.

 

“Show me,” T’Pol said, struggling to keep her voice even, “how much you have gleaned of Vulcan physiology.  Where are the major erogenous zones for a Vulcan female?”

 

“Is this a game or a test?” Hoshi quipped.  She couldn’t help grinning, though, as she slid off T’Pol’s waist just long enough to pull her pants and underwear off and throw them somewhere far away from the bed.  She did the same to her own pants, leaving them both - finally, gloriously - naked.

 

“Both,” T’Pol told her.  “All Vulcan games are educational.”  Anything else she might have said after that was cut off as Hoshi straddled her once more, lower on her hips so that Hoshi’s cunt rubbed against T’Pol’s pubic hair.  T’Pol grabbed Hoshi’s thighs to stop herself from completely losing control.

 

“Hmm, let me think,” Hoshi said, pretending to take her time thinking.  T’Pol dug her fingers into Hoshi’s thighs.  “Well, the ears, obviously.”  She leaned forward, sliding her way upwards against T’Pol’s body until she reached the part in question and took one pointed tip into her mouth.  T’Pol’s breath caught in her throat and then wrenched itself loose again in a low moan.  After a long moment, Hoshi moved over to the other ear, planting a quick kiss on T’Pol’s nose as she passed over it.  She repeated the same process with the other ear before sitting back and considering.

 

“The fingers, too,” Hoshi said, picking up T’Pol’s right hand.  “The first and second fingers especially.”  She folded down the third and fourth fingers so that the first two were easier to access and then she stuck them into her mouth too.  T’Pol silently cursed humans’ oral fixations because every time Hoshi put another body part into her mouth it felt like T’Pol’s brain was about to overload.  She had a talented tongue - more talented than T’Pol could ever have imagined, and she had imagined quite a lot.

 

Again, Hoshi repeated the process with T’Pol’s other hand.  T’Pol was starting to regret this little game.  She could feel her wetness leaking down her ass and soaking into the mattress; Hoshi wasn’t in much better condition, except she was leaking straight onto T’Pol.  “And, hmm, let’s see...not your nipples, we already covered that.”  Hoshi flicked at one of T’Pol’s nipples anyway, just for fun.  Her hands ran down T’Pol’s torso, seeking out sensitive places.  T’Pol tensed in anticipation, but she passed over the one T’Pol had thought she would notice.  Instead, she slid her fingers between T’Pol’s labia and rubbed her _keh-wal_.  “There’s this little bit here,” Hoshi said, grinning mischievously.

 

T’Pol had to admit she was a little impressed.  The _keh-wal_ was a bit like the human clitoris: they were located in the same spot, served no obvious reproductive purpose, and were often overlooked by men during sexual intercourse.  That was where the similarities ended.  Whereas the human clitoris was pronounced (and became even more pronounced when aroused), the Vulcan _keh-wal_ was more like a very sensitive patch of skin located between the labia, just in front of the urethra.  When Hoshi touched it, fireworks seemed to explode in T’Pol’s vision.  And then, because there seemed to be a running theme to this little game, Hoshi leaned forward and-

 

T’Pol reminded herself forcefully that as a Vulcan, she was in complete control of her emotions.  And she did not just let out a very loud cry because that would be unVulcan in the extreme.  And she definitely did not grab Hoshi’s head and grind her hips into Hoshi’s mouth because that would be most illogical.

 

Hoshi pulled away from her, wiping her chin off with her hand.  “How am I doing so far?” she asked smugly.

 

“Not bad,” T’Pol said, her voice surprisingly even, though her brain was barely registering what her mouth said.  She propped herself up on her elbows so that she could see Hoshi better.  “You missed one, though.”

 

“I’m not finished yet.”  Hoshi sat back on her heels, studying T’Pol’s body.  She ran an experimental finger along the back of T’Pol’s knee.  “Here?”

 

“Hmmm,” T’Pol agreed.  Hoshi grinned and leaned down to pepper both knees with little kisses.  “You still missed one.”

 

Hoshi frowned.  “Lower?”

 

T’Pol shook her head slowly.  “Higher.”

 

“Oh, I was gonna come back to that one,” Hoshi said, grinning impishly.

 

T’Pol rolled her eyes.  “Not that one.  A different one.”

 

Hosh spread T’Pol’s legs so that she could kneel between them, and placed one hand on each leg just above her knees.  “Tell me when I’m close.”  She ran her hands slowly, inch by inch, up T’Pol’s legs while T’Pol revelled in the touch.  She brushed against T’Pol’s vagina but didn’t stop to explore any further.  Up over her hips and -

 

“Stop.”

 

Hoshi’s hands came to a halt in the middle of T’Pol’s stomach.  Her eyes widened with delight.  “Your belly button?”

 

T’Pol nodded.  “Yes.”

 

Hoshi laughed her beautiful laugh - one of T’Pol’s favourite sounds in the galaxy, she was coming to find - and tickled T’Pol’s navel.  T’Pol raised an eyebrow.  “I said it was erogenous, not ticklish.”

 

Hoshi wrinkled her nose.  “ I know but...I’m not sure I’ve ever had the desire to stick my tongue into someone’s belly button.”

 

“Then I suggest you ‘stick your tongue’ somewhere a bit more...pleasurable for the both of us,” T’Pol said.

 

A saucy little smile graced Hoshi’s lips.  “Yes, ma’am,” she said before going down on T’Pol with incredible fervor.

 

If T’Pol thought she knew wild release before, she was mistaken.  This was...beyond incredible.  Hoshi manoeuvred her tongue in ways T’Pol couldn’t even imagine.  Every inch of T’Pol’s body burned, and Hoshi’s tongue was the point of origin.  She could feel her climax building to a sharp crescendo, she couldn’t last much longer - control, she needed control but it was beyond her reach when Hoshi was currently licking every last bit of her resolve out through her most intimate parts.  She needed something but couldn’t find the words to articulate what it was so she slapped uselessly at the mattress until Hoshi seemed to read her thoughts and took her hand, twining their fingers together so hard it hurt.  At that exact moment, T’Pol’s orgasm hit her, muscles spasming in mind-numbing ecstasy.  She collapsed flat on her back, shaking arms no longer able to support her, and for a moment the whole world went a little dim as her brain tried to process what it was feeling.

 

When she came back to full alertness, Hoshi was by her side, caressing her face with one hand, the other still tightly gripping T’Pol’s.  She was whispering something in T’Pol’s ear, and it took T’Pol a moment to realise she was speaking Vulcan.  Reassurances, endearments, promises.  One word a constant refrain amongst all the others….

 

“ _T’hy’la_ ,” T’Pol whispered, turning to face Hoshi.

 

“ _T’hy’la_ ,” Hoshi agreed.

 

T’Pol kissed her, letting her actions say everything she would never admit out loud.  Hoshi seemed to acknowledge this, returning the kiss patiently, letting her know through all the places their bodies touched that _I understand_ and _Yes_ and _Mine_.

 

T’Pol rolled them over so that their positions were reversed - Hoshi flat on her back with T’Pol pressed on top of her.

 

“Oof,” Hoshi said, but she was smiling.  “You’re heavy.”

 

“I apologise,” T’Pol said.  She tried to brace herself on her hands to push some of her weight off of Hoshi, but Hoshi wrapped her arms around T’Pol and pulled her back down again.

 

“I like it,” she said.  “It feels comforting.  Reassuring.  Like you’re really here and not just a dream.  A very _good_ dream.”

 

T’Pol kissed Hoshi’s lips, forehead, nose, the outer corners of each eye, and then made her way down to Hoshi’s cheeks, chin, neck.  Hoshi arched her neck to one side to allow T’Pol better access, which T’Pol gladly took advantage of.  As she kissed and licked and bit at the spot where Hoshi’s neck met her shoulder, one hand drifted down towards Hoshi’s center.  She wished briefly she had something a little more...stimulating than her fingers.

 

“I have something,” Hoshi said, sensing her thoughts.  “But I left it on Enterprise.  I was worried you might see it and then I’d have to explain ‘Yes ma’am, that’s my vibrator.  And look if you hook it into this, it becomes a strap-on.’”

 

“I am disappointed in your lack of foresight, Ensign,” T’Pol said, raising her face from Hoshi’s neck to give her a Look.  “Perhaps if something like that had happened, we might have spent the last two days doing other activities than sightseeing and napping on the couch.”

 

Hoshi snorted.  “I’m sure that wouldn’t make my parents suspicious at all if we spent forty-eight straight hours in my room.”

 

T’Pol chose to ignore this in favour of attacking the other side of Hoshi’s neck while her fingers found what they were searching for.  Hoshi let out a high-pitched keening sound as T’Pol rubbed her clitoris.  Her legs were trembling, her breathing erratic, her heartbeat wild - she was close.  T’Pol moved her hand downwards slightly until she found Hoshi’s opening and pushed one finger inside.  Hoshi’s hips bucked and she cried out again.  T’Pol stopped kissing her neck, focused entirely on the movements of her hand; Hoshi didn’t seem to notice.  She was too caught up in the frenzy of pleasure - her hands grasped uselessly at T’Pol’s back, sliding down towards her buttocks and kneading the hard muscles, urging T’Pol to rut against her.  T’Pol added another finger, pushing as far into Hoshi as she could reach, making a mental note to trim her nails as soon as possible.  She closed her eyes, breathing as evenly as she could, and focused all of her energy on Hoshi’s pleasure, attempting to create what would have been a sensory feedback loop had Hoshi been Vulcan.  It must have worked because Hoshi gasped suddenly as her muscles spasmed around T’Pol’s fingers.

 

T’Pol’s thumb rubbed circles against Hoshi’s clit, urging the orgasm to continue as long as possible.  After an aeon, the muscles relaxed; T’Pol pulled her fingers out and wiped them surreptitiously on the mattress.  Hoshi trembled, exhausted, but smiling.  “Wow,” she whispered.

 

“Wow, indeed,” T’Pol agreed.  She rolled off of Hoshi and felt around for a blanket to cover them with.  She didn’t feel particularly tired, but Hoshi looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment.  She found what she was looking for at the foot of the mattress, and covered up the both of them.  Maybe once Hoshi was asleep, T’Pol could sneak out of bed to do a little meditation.  If ever in her life she needed it, right now was that moment.  Her mind was in tumult; everything about her felt wild and uncontrollable.

 

Hoshi curled up against her, slinging an arm around T’Pol’s waist.  “If you need some space, just let me know,” Hoshi said around a large yawn.

 

T’Pol kissed the top of Hoshi’s head, breathing in her scent.  Contrary to what most people thought, T’Pol really didn’t mind the way Humans smell - or maybe it was just Hoshi whose scent T’Pol didn’t mind.  Either way, T’Pol felt like she could stay in this bed forever and be perfectly content.  It was a frightening thought, one she didn’t want to pay much attention to at the moment.  How long had they been coming to this?  Since the mission to the Klingon ship?  The first time they meditated together?  Before then?  The first time Hoshi spoke to T’Pol in Vulcan?  It seemed so inevitable yet it had taken them so long to...

 

“You’re thinking too loud,” Hoshi said.  “Relax.”  She kissed T’Pol’s shoulder.  “We can deal with what this means - if it means anything - later.”

 

T’Pol focused on calming her racing thoughts and emotions.  She focused on breathing as Hoshi breathed: deeply, evenly, falling gently into sleep.  She focused on each place where their bodies touched, finding calm in the simple press of flesh against flesh.

 

Eventually, she too fell asleep.

 

 


	3. Intermission

T’Pol stared at the chronometer - 1824 hours.  At 1830, she vowed, she was going to get up and meditate whether or not Hoshi was awake.

 

They had both slept for well over an hour, but now T’Pol was awake and desperately needed to meditate, yet she did not want to move for fear of waking Hoshi.  Plus it was warm and comfortable under the heavy duvet.  If T’Pol were Human, she might just give into the temptation to skip meditation altogether.

 

She sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling.  That was just the problem, she thought - she wasn’t Human.  She was Vulcan.  A Vulcan who had just given into emotion instead of following the logical course of action.

 

 _Sex with Hoshi_ was _the logical course of action_ , said another part of her brain, the part she had nicknamed Trip because it was notorious for trying to talk her into following her heart.

 

In what possible way was having sex logical?

 

_Hoshi was nothing but a distraction because you were curious about what it would be like to mate with her.  Yours is a scientific mind - curiosity does not sit well within it.  Ergo, your curiosity had to be sated and now that it has been you may proceed as before._

 

That was just it, though - T’Pol wasn’t sure if she wanted to proceed as before.  And if not, then...what?

 

She looked at the chronometer again - 1827, damn it.  Why was time moving so slowly.  No, illogical...why was her mind moving so fast?  Because she hadn’t meditated yet.  Why not?   What was the real reason she was procrastinating, setting arbitrary rules for when she would meditate?  What was she afraid she would find within herself?

 

She looked sharply away from the chronometer.  She wasn’t afraid...or at least, not exactly.  She was...disconcerted.  Perhaps a little shaky and unbalance.  But not afraid.  Her eyes fell on Hoshi’s face, still relaxed in sleep.  Her eyes snapped rapidly in a dream cycle.  If T’Pol touched her mind right now, she wondered what she would see.  Pleasant dreams, she hoped.  Maybe even dreams of the two of them together….

 

T’Pol forced herself out of bed and to the corner where she had stored her things when she first arrived.  T’Pol and Hoshi had been sharing Hoshi’s room for the last two days even though the Satos had said more than once that T’Pol was welcome to use either of Hoshi’s sisters’ rooms since neither would be home during their visit.  T’Pol had felt uncomfortable invading the space of someone she never met, however, and Hoshi said she didn’t mind having T’Pol in her room, and for the most part the closeness hadn’t disrupted either of their routines.  T’Pol had been using a separate futon mattress that was currently rolled up and stored away.  In her neat little corner, she found the things she would need to meditate.  As she set up and prepared herself, her thoughts drifted to Hoshi - Hoshi’s body, her mind, what this would mean for the two of them serving together…. How the other senior officers would react. Should they, in the best interest of everyone involved, keep their relationship a secret?  Could they?

 

T’Pol closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.  It was too many problems to deal with all at once.  She needed to focus on one thing at a time.  She lit the wick of her meditation candle and got herself into the correct position.  Her breathing slowed, as did her thoughts.  This was familiar, comforting...routine.  She practically fell into her usual meditation space: a place of pure, glowing light.  If ever she needed mental illumination, it was now.  As she breathed, thoughts fell into place - problems began to seem trivial.  There was a logical answer to everything, she just had to find it.

 

She hadn’t been at it long when the landscape of her mind began to change.  It grew darker.  Things and shapes appeared in the shadows - evil-looking instruments, sharp decorations.  There were movements around her.  T’Pol realised she could not move, that she was strapped to a chair with electrodes sticking out of her head.  The people moving around her - she could see them now.  Xindi reptiles.  They were demanding something of her, but she couldn’t understand what.  The pain...the pain was ferocious.  She wanted to give them what they demanded but to do so would mean the destruction of Earth -

 

T’Pol wrenched herself out of meditation with a gasp.  She stared at Hoshi - there was no sign of the nightmare beyond a slight furrowing of the eyebrow.  T’Pol stumbled over to her, barely in control of her shaking limbs.  “Hoshi,” she said, laying a hand on her shoulder.  “Hoshi, wake up.”

 

Hoshi’s eyes jerked open and she let out a small sound.  “What’s wrong?” she asked, looking around.  The events of the last few hours caught up with her as her mind gained traction in the waking world.

 

“You were having a nightmare,” T’Pol said.

 

“Oh,” Hoshi said, settling back down on her bed.  “Yeah, I was.  About the Xindi.  Was I making noise in my sleep?”  She frowned.  “I don’t normally do that, or so I’m told.”

 

“You were not making any noise,” T’Pol assured her.  “At least not in the physical world.”

 

Hoshi’s eyebrows shot up.  “As opposed to…?”

 

T’Pol held back, unsure how much to reveal just yet.  For Hoshi’s dream to interfere with T’Pol’s meditation like that indicated that a bond had taken root during their coupling.  It was just a small bond as yet, still in its infancy - easy to terminate now but would become more difficult to do so as time wore on.  T’Pol hesitated because she wasn’t sure how Hoshi would react to this news.  There was a good chance she would not want the bond, would not want to be tied to T’Pol this way, and that possibility was rather painful to contemplate.

 

Still, it would be unfair to hide this from her, especially since she might figure out what was going on by herself. “As opposed to the metaphysical world.  Your dream leaked into my meditation.  I could see and feel what you saw and felt.”  Her throat tightened, cutting off any more words.  She didn’t like thinking about the hell Hoshi had been subjected to before being rescued.

 

Hoshi was frowning, her mind still a little muddled by sleep and bad memories.  “Maybe I’m getting confused about Vulcan culture, but that shouldn’t be possible unless -”

 

“Unless we have started to form a mating bond, yes,” T’Pol said.  She waited for several seconds but Hoshi didn’t seem inclined to say anything more.  “It is not too late to reverse it if -”

 

“No,” Hoshi said quickly.  “No, I don’t...want to do that.  Not unless it’s what you want.  At what point would it become irreversible?”

 

“Nothing is irreversible,” T’Pol said.  “It would just become more difficult to do so.  The longer the bond is in place, the more contact we have, the stronger it will become.

 

Hoshi reached out to touch T’Pol’s hand.  “So let’s just...see where this is going, okay?  If it works out, great.  If it doesn’t, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

 

T’Pol’s fingers tightened around hers.  “Agreed.”  She glanced behind her at her meditation area.  “Would you like to join me?”  She would need to teach Hoshi how to control the bond, and she might as well get started.

 

“Yeah, that’d be great.”  Hoshi reached for her underwear, sliding them on as she stood up.  T’Pol hadn’t bothered with dressing before but she did so now - no need for additional distraction.  “I’ve found that meditation helps with the nightmares.”

 

“Do you get them often?” T’Pol asked.

 

“Not as often as I did.  It was real bad right after...but like I said, meditation helped.”

 

“Why did you not tell me?  I could have…”  What?  What could she have possibly done to make Hoshi’s ordeal any less difficult to bear?

 

Hoshi leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips.  “You had your own stuff to deal with, and besides it was something I had to come to terms with on my own.”  She hesitated, a shadow flashing over her eyes.  T’Pol tried not to think about what Jonathan had told her, that Hoshi tried to commit suicide twice - once aboard the Xindi ship and once after.

  
She levered herself to her feet, using Hoshi’s hand for support.  Paused - then pulled Hoshi into a tight embrace before leading her over to the meditation area and getting ready for a long session.


	4. Act 2 (5 people who mentioned the blossoming romance and 1 who did not)

i) Hoshi’s sister

 

“I think...just for now...we should keep our relationship quiet,” Hoshi had said after their meditation.  T’Pol readily agreed, relieved that Hoshi had been the one to bring it up so she wouldn’t have to.  She had been a little worried how Hoshi would react to the idea that T’Pol didn't want to announced that they were dating (or whatever) just yet.  There would be complications, considerations...things they would be better prepared to deal with a few weeks into their relationship, when they had figured out exactly what they wanted and how they wished to proceed.

 

There was just one problem: Although Hoshi and T’Pol were as careful as possible - never going out of their way to be together in public, never openly showing affection or touching each other unnecessarily - people somehow guessed that something had changed for the both of them almost right from the start.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Sato did not get back from the opera until very late into the night, but Hoshi and T’Pol were still wide awake.  Their earlier nap and meditation had left them refreshed and hungry, so they ordered takeaway from a nearby restaurant and ate it while discussing art and literature at length.  When Hoshi’s parents returned, there was more discussion as they recounted the play and who had been there and what the playwright had to say about his work.  If Mr. and Mrs. Sato noticed at that point that Hoshi and T’Pol were sitting closer together than they had thus far into their visit, they didn’t mention it.  Nor did they say anything about Hoshi stealing small pieces of T’Pol’s dessert or T’Pol’s eyes rarely leaving Hoshi’s face even when neither of them were talking.  Indeed, neither woman realised what she was doing and would have been surprised if someone had pointed it out.

 

The rest of the week passed in a flurry of sightseeing and exquisite home cooking and discreet lovemaking.  They had two full weeks of shore leave, the second half of which they planned to spend in Brazil so that Hoshi could catch up with her former students and T’Pol could explore the local culture.  That time, they knew, they would be free to spend as much time in bed as they cared to, but four and a half days was too long to wait and keep their hands off each other.  They could not bear to keep their hands to themselves when they were alone, but at least their caresses were private, kept between the four walls of Hoshi’s bedroom.

 

In the daylight hours, though, the two women explored every bit of Kyoto’s rich and colourful history.  They went to various temples and gardens and festivals, drinking it all in.  Hoshi worried T’Pol might find it all overwhelming, but she never complained.  There were a few whispers as the locals realised there was a Vulcan in their midst (an uncommon sight in this area, for the most part), but no one was outright rude and many people went out of their way to make sure T’Pol was comfortable.  Every evening they would return to Hoshi’s parents and a wonderful vegetarian dinner.  Hoshi gushed at length about the places they had visited - places she had grown up surrounded by but were given new life when seen vicariously for the first time.  Even T’Pol would get caught up in the excitement, her normally calm demeanour breaking for a moment as she related the austere beauty of Nanzenji Temple or the peacefulness of Maruyama Park.

 

Most nights, Hoshi meditated with T’Pol, who was teaching her how to control their bond.  For the most part it was easy - Hoshi was a natural student and she already knew the basics of Vulcan meditation.  Afterwards, when they could no longer bear to be apart and they could hear that Hoshi’s parents were settled down for the night, they would come together on the bed in every way imaginable.  Things became a bit more complicated when Hoshi’s older sister showed up two days before the end of their stay.  Emiko was pleasant enough and friendly towards T’Pol, but there was something calculating and skeptical in her eyes that T’Pol did not quite trust.  She, like Hoshi, had grown up with a very Westernised attitude towards life and the universe in general, perhaps even more so than her little sister.  She lived and worked in London, and while Mr and Mrs Sato could find common ground with T’Pol because Vulcan culture was a good deal similar to Japanese culture in many ways, Emiko approached her with a typical Western distrust and cynicism.

 

On their last day in Kyoto, Hoshi and T’Pol came home early to prepare a large meal to say thank you for the Satos hospitality.  Emiko helped a bit, but mostly she stole little pieces of vegetables, teased her little sister, watched T’Pol with a careful eye, and all in all just generally got in the way.  Hoshi finally kicked her out of the kitchen altogether, threatening to lay a Klingon curse on her if she came back before dinner was ready.  When everything was finally prepared, the family sat down, said a few blessings hoping for good things to come to Hoshi and Emiko, and lamented the fact that the youngest daughter, Susie, had not been able to come around while Hoshi was there.  They talked and laughed and ate and drank long into the night.

 

After dessert had long since been consumed and the dishes taken away, Hoshi could not stop yawning.  She tried to insist on doing the dishes before going to bed, but Emiko waved her down, saying she would do them to make up for being a pain in the ass while they were cooking.  Mr. and Mrs. Sato bade everyone a good night and drifted away to their bedroom.  After they left, the dining table grew quiet, with each sister lost in her own thoughts and T’Pol trying to silently urge Hoshi to just go to bed already.

 

Hoshi was just about to concede when Emiko spoke.

 

“Do Mom and Dad know yet?”

 

Hoshi yawned again, more widely this time.  “About what?”

 

“About you two.”

 

T’Pol’s heart skipped a beat and Hoshi was suddenly a lot more awake.  “Us two?” Hoshi repeated, warily.

 

Emiko snorted.  “Oh, please.  You’re practically falling all over each other.  I’ve never seen a Vulcan be so touchy-feely with...well, anyone, but let alone a human.”

 

“And you’ve come in contact with a lot of Vulcans, of course,” T’Pol snipped.

 

“Maybe not,” Emiko allowed, not letting T’Pol’s tone bother her.  “But I grew up with Hoshi, remember.  She was fascinated with all sorts of alien cultures, especially Vulcans.  I got to hear at length all about how your people avoid touch as much as possible, particularly when it comes to humans because of all the crazy emotions we’ve got in our heads.  Yet in just the half-hour I was in the kitchen with you, I saw you touch Hoshi no less than five times, direct hand-to-hand contact.”  Her tone was partly condescending, partly skeptical, and completely out of line.  T’Pol bristled.

 

“We are familiar with each other,” she explained.  “We have been working together for two years now.”

 

Emiko’s eyes narrowed.  “So you’re like this with all your crewmates?  If I came aboard _Enterprise_ I would see you brushing your fingers against everyone’s hands at every available opportunity?”

 

She could deny it, claim Emiko had imagined or exaggerated her claims; she could lie and say that working with Humans had inured her to casual touch; she could tell the truth and say that Hoshi was her best friend, something she had never had claim to before.  She wanted to look to Hoshi for guidance - this was her sister after all, she would know the best way to stop Emiko’s suspicions - but to do so would do nothing to allay her accusations.  “I’m afraid you-”

 

“I don’t like the idea of my little sister being in a relationship she has to keep secret.”

 

Hoshi could no longer contain herself.  “It’s none of your business,” she snapped.  “If we are, if we aren’t, whatever.  I’m old enough to make my own choices.”

 

Emiko leaned back in her chair, affecting a casualness she did not feel.  “I’m just trying to look out for my little sister.”

 

“I don’t need you to, thanks,” Hoshi said.

 

“I would not do anything to hurt Hoshi,” T’Pol interjected.

 

“Maybe not intentionally,” Emiko said.  There was something almost kind in her voice, almost...pitying.  “But not everything is in your control.  I know you Vulcans like to think you can control everything, but some things are beyond even you.”

 

T’Pol ignored the jibe against her species.  “I believe you should listen to your sister when she says she can take care of herself.  She has undergone challenges you cannot fathom.  She is intelligent and pragmatic and an exemplary officer.  She has progressed significantly in the last two years, and I say that as both her friend and her colleague.”  Beside her, Hoshi shifted, equal parts embarrassed and amazed.

 

“And her commanding officer,” Emiko added pointedly.

 

T’Pol swallowed hard.  “Our working relationship…” she trailed off, unsure of what to say.  It was irrelevant?  It wasn’t.  Was completely professional?  Again, not exactly.

 

“It creates a conflict of interest.”  Emiko’s eyes, which had mostly been trained on T’Pol during their conversation, darted towards Hoshi.  “And it raises questions of consent.”

 

Hoshi sat up straight, so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.  “She didn’t...like, pressure me into having sex with her,” she spat, carefully keeping her voice low so her parents would not hear.  “She isn’t promising me promotions or...or choice assignments or anything in exchange for sexual favours.  It’s not like that at all!  You said it yourself, she’s Vulcan.  They have more honour than any human could ever hope to have.”

 

T’Pol lay a bracing hand on Hoshi’s wrist, out of Emiko’s line of sight.  Getting upset right now would do neither of them any favours.  The effect of the touch was instantaneous: Hoshi drew a deep, shuddering breath, calming down in the space of a nanosecond.  Emiko watched this all, fascinated.  She snorted.  “Well at least if nothing else, you got her temper under control.  Maybe this will keep her from breaking any arms or legs.”

 

Hoshi stood up from the table, slowly, purposefully.  She was calm, dignified, and there was a certain electricity crackling about her that made even T’Pol think twice about crossing her.  “I,” she said, enunciating carefully, “am going to bed.  That is my decision.  You two may do whatever you wish.”  Her arm slipped out of T’Pol’s grasp as she turned and headed towards her room.

 

Emiko and T’Pol remained at the table, a little stunned, unable to look each other in the eye.  At last Emiko spoke, but not about the problem at hand.  “I’ll do the dishes.  Since you guys did most of the cooking.  You should…” She waved a hand aimlessly in the general direction Hoshi had disappeared.

 

T’Pol stood, unsure of what to say.  Emiko began stacking dishes, ignoring her.  “It is...good of you to want to protect your sister,” T’Pol said.  “I cannot say I will not hurt her.  I can only promise to try not to.”

 

Emiko still did not look her in the eye as she said, gruffly, “If you do, I’ll make you wish you had never been born.”

 

“If I do, I have a feeling there will be a queue of people wanting to do the exact same thing.”  T’Pol turned and walked out of the dining room without waiting to hear what Emiko’s response to that would be.

 

In her room, Hoshi was still fuming.  “I can’t believe she thought you...you were…” She gestured helplessly, unable to articulate such a horrifying thought.

 

“Coercing you into having sex with me.”

 

“Yes,” Hoshi exploded.  “How could she think that?”

 

“She does not, I think.  But other people, who do not know us as well, might get that impression if our relationship were made public,” T’Pol said.  She sat down on Hoshi’s mattress, watching her lover pace.

 

Hoshi stopped moving and dropped down beside T’Pol, leaning into her.  T’Pol hesitantly, awkwardly, wrapped her arm around Hoshi, comforting her without really knowing how to go about doing so.  “I could request a transfer to another ship,” Hoshi said.  “We wouldn’t see each other as often but-”

 

“No,” T’Pol said.  “Archer needs you and your talents.  Perhaps if I were still with Vulcan High Command…”

 

Hoshi shook her head, a gesture made difficult by the fact that she was resting it against T’Pol’s shoulder.  “Don’t even think it.  Even if they would reinstate you, there’s something awfully fishy going on there.  You shouldn’t get involved with all that.”  She sighed, at a loss.  Then she smiled, though it was a bit grim.  “Well, at least neither of us suggested we stop seeing each other.”

 

T’Pol turned her head to brush her lips against Hoshi’s hair.  “Never, t’hy’la,” she whispered.  “I would not have considered it.”

 

“Good.  We may be fools but at least we’re fools on the same page.”

 

They were silent for a long moment, each lost in her own thoughts.  Hoshi was just about ready to fall asleep sitting up when T’Pol asked her a question she had been hoping would pass unremarked.

 

“What did Emiko mean about you breaking arms and legs?”

 

ii) Travis

 

“You had sex!”

 

Hoshi glanced over her shoulder at her open door.  She was unpacking her stuff; how strange it was to be back on _Enterprise_ but stranger still was how much it felt like home.  “Hello, Travis - good to see you, Travis - how was your trip, Travis?” she said pointedly.

 

He laughed and entered her quarters.  “Hello, Hoshi,” he said, leaning over too place a kiss on her cheek.  “You look lovely - nice and tan from your vacation.  I take it you had a good time?  But also - you had sex!”

 

Hoshi wrestled with her suitcase, disguising her blush as effort.  “And what, exactly, makes you say that?”

 

“Oh, I can tell.  Am I wrong?” Travis pulled the bag out of her hands and zipped it up neatly and efficiently.

 

Hoshi couldn’t lie to her best friend...but she would certainly try to talk around the truth.  “I just spent two weeks with T’Pol.  If you think I had any chances to sneak off long enough to have sex with a stranger…”

 

Travis waved a dismissive hand.  “Vulcans love privacy and being alone.  I bet you had plenty of time for some hanky panky.”

 

“Hanky panky?” Hoshi repeated.  “You’ve been spending too much time around Trip.”

 

“You’re not gonna tell me, are you?”

 

“No,” Hoshi said firmly.

 

“What if I guess?” Travis asked.

 

“You go right ahead and try.”  Hoshi laughed.  “I’m going to finish unpacking.

 

Travis flopped down on her bed.  “You won’t say who it was - you won’t even admit you had sex - which makes me think it’s someone I know.”  He paused, gauging her reaction to his assessment; she kept her face as neutral as she could.  “But the only person you spent the last two weeks with was Commander T’Pol…”

 

Hoshi froze, waiting for the penny to drop.  What could she possibly say when it finally did…?

 

“Though I suppose you could’ve had a visitor from _Enterprise_.  It’s not like your trip was any sort of secret - everyone knew y’all were going to Brazil.”  He pulled a face.  “It wasn’t Commander Tucker, was it?”

 

“No,” Hoshi cried.  “We didn’t have any visitors the whole time, from _Enterprise_ or otherwise.”  She was walking on shaky ground here, practically putting the answer in Travis’ lap, but she couldn’t help it.  Was the idea of her and T’Pol hooking up so implausible that Travis had to make up imaginary visitors to explain how Hoshi might have had sex while on shore leave?

 

Travis frowned.  “Then it couldn’t have been someone I know, since you and I don’t have any other mutual friends.  So why the big hush?”

 

Hoshi stared at him, arms crossed defiantly over her chest.  Stared until slowly, slowly, realisation dawned on his face.

 

“No way,” he whispered, sitting up to stare back at her.

 

“You can’t say anything to anyone,” Hoshi interjected quickly.

 

“No one would believe me if I did,” Travis said.

 

Hoshi reeled slightly as though his words had slapped her.  “Is it really so difficult to believe?” she asked, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.

 

“It’s just she’s so...Vulcan.”  He shook his head wonderingly.  “What was it even like?”

 

Hoshi blushed.  “None of your business,” she said tartly.  “It was good, though,” she added after a pause.  “Very good.”

 

Travis laughed.  “Girl, you got it bad.”

 

Hoshi sat down next to him on the bed.  “Yeah...I guess I do.”

 

They were both silent for a long time - so long that Hoshi began to feel self-conscious.  “What?” she asked, apropos of nothing.

 

“I’m still trying to imagine what it must’ve been like.”

 

“Travis!”

 

“What?  I only mean like because she’s Vulcan and all...I can’t imagine her making any noise or getting rowdy or anything.”

 

“I’m not telling you,” Hoshi said.

 

“How many times did you do it?” he asked.

 

“Travis!”

 

“I only ask out of scientific curiosity,” he explained, holding up his hands placatingly.  “I wanna know what the Vulcan refractory period is like.”  He leered at her.  “Should I go ask her just how talented your tongue is?”

 

Hoshi pushed him off the bed.

 

iii) Phlox

 

“And I see you had sex on your vacation.”

 

At T’Pol’s withering glare, Phlox hurried on, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  Indeed, I find a healthy sex life coincides with an healthy lifestyle overall.  You might-”

 

“Doctor,” T’Pol interrupted.  “Would you please confine yourself to the relevant facts?”

 

“This is relevant.  I am giving you a physical examination and-”

 

“My sexual activities are not relevant to my overall health.”

 

Doctor Phlox had had too much experience with T’Pol to let her brusque tone put him off.  “Of course it is,” he corrected her gently.  “For all I know you might have gone into pon farr while you were on vacation, and I think you would agree that that would be very relevant.”

 

“It was not pon farr,” T’Pol said irritably.  “The scanner’s readings would show if it were.  My hormone levels and brain activity would be erratic.”

 

“Ah, so you had sex because you wanted to!  Well, good for you, I say.”  Phlox beamed at her.  “Nothing wrong with a bit of - ah - sexual appetite.  Hm, will you be needing any sort of birth control?”

 

“Vulcans cannot get pregnant outside of our mating cycles,” T’Pol informed him archly.

 

Phlox made a note on his data padd.  “Very well.  Now, I understand you were vacationing with Hoshi, isn’t that right?”

 

T’Pol stiffened even more - an incredible feat, considering how stiff she already was.  “Yes.  What of it?”

 

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t neglect her while you were off...galavanting with your new beau.”  His eyes twinkled at her, half mocking, half perfectly serious.

 

“I assure you, Ensign Sato did not feel left out at all,” T’Pol said.

 

Phlox’s eyes widened and he tilted his head slightly.  “Is that so?”

 

T’Pol silently cursed herself - if she had been human, she would have blushed.  She hadn’t meant to put so much inflection in her words.  She ducked her head and peered up at Phlox.  “Whatever you are thinking, Doctor…” She faltered.  She couldn’t say it wasn’t true.  Or maybe he wasn’t thinking what she thought he was thinking after all.

 

“I will have Hoshi schedule an appointment for a physical examination,” he said, making another note on his padd.  “I’m sure everything is fine, but what with everything she went through recently, I’d like to make sure.”  Was that reproach in his voice?

 

“Ask her…” T’Pol hesitated, not quite meeting Phlox’s eyes - Hoshi might be angry with her for mentioning it, but T’Pol knew she would never bring it up on her own.  “Ask her about the nightmares,” T’Pol said, steeling her resolve.

 

Phlox nodded and made another note on his padd, but as he did so he said, “Nightmares are a perfectly natural thing to have after such a traumatic ordeal.  In fact, we should consider her lucky if she’s only having nightmares.”

 

“She will not tell me what she dreams about,” T’Pol said, trying not to sound petulant.

 

Phlox crossed his arms over his chest.  “It can be difficult to watch someone you...care about deal with this sort of aftermath, especially if they refuse your help.  Perhaps she wishes to spare you having to experience it, even if it’s only secondhand.”

 

“I would like to make that decision for myself.”

 

“Have you told her that?”

 

“She knows how I feel,” T’Pol said.

 

Phlox chuckled.  “That’s what I thought.  Perhaps you should try talking to her about the nightmares before I do.  Is that everything?”

 

T’Pol started to say yes, but paused.  Phlox watched her expectantly.  “Hosh-  Ensign Sato and I have formed a mating bond.  It was not intentional.”

 

Phlox raised his eyebrows..  “I see.”  T’Pol could tell he didn’t, not really.  She made a mental note to send him some detailed information on Vulcan mating bonds, just in case.  “And you’re worried it might have an adverse effect on Hoshi?”

 

“It has never been done with a human before.  I wasn’t even sure it was possible.”

 

“You say it was unintentional...do you - er, that is, are you making plans to have it reversed?” Phlox asked.

 

“We have decided to leave it in place for now.

 

Phlox made one last addition to his padd and set it aside.  “I’ll keep a close eye on her, make sure there are no problems.”

 

T’Pol inclined her head. “I appreciate your help, Doctor.”  She walked out of sickbay, taking all of the tension out of the room with her.

 

Phlox went over to his Pyrithian bat and glanced into her cage.  “Well, I must say that was a surprise.  Ha.  All these months I’ve been trying to get her to relax and find a little romance and I’ve been pushing the wrong people her way.  I never thought she’d find it on her own.  Hm.”  He dropped a few tidbits into the cage and went back to work.

 

iv) Malcolm

 

For the most part, in spite of these few anomalies, life went on as normal on _Enterprise_.  Hoshi and T’Pol went about their normal routines as though nothing had changed; Hoshi went to T’Pol’s quarters in the evenings for meditation sessions, and if anyone noticed that she stayed longer than she used to, they did not say anything.  (No one also mentioned the fact that Hoshi had not had a meditation lesson from T’Pol in months because T’Pol had been so busy with Commander Tucker’s neuropressure, but he seemed to be sleeping better these days so why would it be unusual for the meditation lessons to resume now that he no longer needed T’Pol’s services?)  Sometimes T’Pol would stand a little closer than necessary when leaning over Hoshi’s shoulder to look at something on her computer; there was something almost intoxicating about getting away with something right under everyone’s noses.

 

But then there was a small...incident...in the mess hall that made T’Pol think maybe they weren’t being quite as clever as they thought.

 

Hoshi and T’Pol had taken lunch and dinner together fairly regularly before embarking on their relationship and they saw no reason not to continue doing so afterwards.  They were still friends, after all, and had plenty to talk about over meals.  This was something that T’Pol found almost peculiar - she had never imagined being in a relationship with someone she considered a friend.  On Vulcan it was more typical to marry a stranger and then find out what - if anything - you had in common.  When she expressed these thoughts to Hoshi, however, she found that it was pretty much par for the course for the young ensign to develop a sexual relationship out of a friendly one.

 

“More fun that way,” she explained.  “What’s the point in dating someone you have nothing to talk about with?”

 

Still, they agreed it would be best to limit how often they were seen alone together, or even together all, so T’Pol continued to take many of her dinners with the Captain and Trip while Hoshi ate with a wide variety of friends and colleagues.  Which is why one day T’Pol entered the mess hall to find Hoshi and Lieutenant Reed sitting at a table together, enjoying a companionable silence.  Each officer had a data padd out - Hoshi reading something rather intently, Reed working out some calculations, probably for the new weapon prototype the Captain wanted him to draw up.  There were a few other tables open, but T’Pol did not feel like sitting by herself, thus opening up the possibility of being joined by someone (Trip) she did not want to sit alone with.  So she got her food and proceeded with the logical course of action.

 

“May I join you?”

 

Hoshi glanced up and flashed her a brilliant smile.  “Sure,” she said, shifting her food tray over a bit to give T’Pol more room.  A perfectly normal reaction to a perfectly normal situation.

 

Which didn’t explain why Lieutenant Reed’s face had gone bright red.

 

T’Pol sat down and gave him a curious look.  “Lieutenant, are you alright?”

 

Hoshi glanced up at him, frowning.

 

Reed mumbled something too low even for T’Pol to understand, not quite making eye contact.  That was hardly unusual - T’Pol had observed that he rarely made eye contact in social situations - but there was indeed something strange in the way he couldn’t seem to decide where precisely to look.  His eyes jumped from the table to the air above T’Pol’s head to Hoshi’s hands, almost without pause.  T’Pol glanced at Hoshi, hoping she would elucidate the situation, but Hoshi looked just as puzzled.  So T’Pol did the only logical thing in this situation: she ignored him and focused instead on something that made sense.

 

“Ensign,” she said, directing her full attention towards Hoshi.  “How is the report on variations in dialects of the Kretassans coming along?”

 

Hoshi was still frowning at Reed but at T’Pol’s question she refocused her attention.  “I was almost finished with it but -” she gestured at the padd in front of her - “I found some additional information that may change a few things.  I probably won’t finish until after my shift.”

 

“Very well,” T’Pol said.  “It is not a top priority but I would like to review the report when it is completed.”

 

“‘Kay.  If I finish it tonight I’ll bring it by your quarters.”

 

It wasn’t unheard of for any number of officers, especially the senior ones, to stop by T’Pol’s quarters if they needed something.  So why did Lieutenant Reed suddenly choke on his coffee when Hoshi said what should have been an innocent statement?

 

“Lieutenant, are you unwell?” T’Pol asked.

 

Hoshi reached over with a handful of napkins to help him mop up the mess he had made.  “No, no, I’m fine,” Reed insisted hoarsely, though T’Pol was unsure if he was talking to Hoshi or to herself.  “Went down the wrong pipe.”  He cleared his throat.  “I think I should get going.  My lunch is almost over.”  He stood up, still not looking either of them in the eye.  “I’ll leave you ladies to…” He gestured vaguely, looking for the right word, didn’t quite find it, and seemed to give up altogether.  He left with a tight, self-conscious nod.

 

“That was unusual, was it not?” T’Pol said.

 

Hoshi shrugged.  “For a normal Human, yeah.  For Malcolm?  Who knows what goes on in his head.”  She started to turn her attention back to her padd, but then something occurred to her.  “You don’t think he got all funny because...I dunno, he heard something?  About us?  He got all weird when I mentioned your quarters.”

 

“Where would he have heard something?”

 

Hoshi looked back at her padd.  Was she blushing?  “Yeah, no...I’m probably just being paranoid.”  She stood up.  “I gotta get back to the bridge.  See you tonight?”

 

T’Pol nodded and Hoshi left.

 

V) Trip

 

“Come in.”

 

Trip’s door slid open to reveal Commander T’Pol standing in the hall, wearing her night clothes and looking as awkward as it was possible for a Vulcan to look.  Trip raised an eyebrow at her, gesturing for her to come inside.

 

“Commander,” she greeted him, stepping into his quarters.

 

“Commander,” he replied, only a hint of irony lacing his voice.

 

“I came to see how - if...that is…”  She paused, gathering her thoughts.  She had rehearsed this on her way over but somehow the words failed her as she took in the sight of Trip in his pyjamas.  She tried again.  “You have not asked to resume our neuropressure sessions.  I assume your sleep cycle has returned to acceptable parameters?”

 

“Ah,” Trip said, his smirk fading.  “More or less, yeah.”

 

T’Pol perched on the edge of his bed, watching him as he fussed with something.  “More or less?” she repeated.

 

“Well, yeah, I mean I’m sleeping better than I was.  Still get nightmares every once in a while, but after everything we’ve been through, is there anyone on this crew who doesn’t?”

 

T’Pol inclined her head slightly.  “Perhaps not.”

 

“Anyway,” Trip continued, still fussing with whatever was in his hands - was that a sock? - and not really looking T’Pol in the eye, “figured you’re a bit busy every night since we got back from leave.”

 

“And what is that supposed to mean?” she asked, trying not to let frost infect her voice too much.

 

Trip finally set aside the object, all but tossing it onto a nearby table.  “You ‘n Hoshi...are the rumours true?”

 

“My relationship with Ensign Sato-”

 

“Are.  The rumours.  True?” Trip repeated, enunciating each word carefully, looking her straight in the eye, arms folded across his chest.  Every inch of him screamed wounded indignation.

 

T’Pol could not obfuscate the truth, not to him.  “Yes.”

 

“D’you love her?”

 

T’Pol hesitated, surprised.  “Love…”

 

“Is an emotion, yeah yeah.  D’you love her?”  Trip asked.

 

T’Pol looked away.  “I do not yet have enough information to ascertain whether or not love is a component in our relationship.”

 

Trip scoffed.  “You’re a real piece of work, aren’t ya?  Hoshi deserves better’n you.”

 

“That may well be true,” T’Pol acknowledged.

 

Trip’s shoulders slumped.  T’Pol being uppity, he could handle.  But her being all...humbled, that was the only way he could describe it...maybe Hoshi was good for her in ways Trip never could have been.  He sat down next to her on the bed, far enough away that it didn’t feel terribly awkward, at least not by Human standards.

 

“What…?” Trip started, then changed his mind.  “No, forget it.  I don’t want to know.”

 

“It was an experiment in sexuality, as I told you.  I’m sorry it never meant as much to me as it did to you, but I was...confused.  And not quite in my right mind.”  She glanced at him, just barely meeting his eye before her gaze flitted away again.  “I apologise.  That is what you were going to ask, is it not?  What did our night together mean to me?”

 

“I just said I didn’t want to know,” Trip growled, but his heart wasn’t into it.

 

“Your body language suggested otherwise.”

 

Trip sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair.  Any residual anger or resentment he might have felt fled at the sight of her looking so damn…  “It kills you that you might be falling in love, doesn’t it?”

 

“Vulcans do not ‘fall in love,’” T’Pol said.

 

“Yeah, and Vulcans probably don’t get involved in secret relationships with their subordinates neither, yet here you are.”  Okay, so that may have been a little below the belt.

 

T’Pol, however, didn’t even blink.  “Indeed.”

 

Trip wasn’t sure what to say to that.  He could feel the silence growing awkward, yet T’Pol made no move to leave.  In fact, she seemed pretty lost in her own thoughts.  “I just-,” he started, bringing her attention back to him.  He wasn’t sure what he meant to say until the words came tumbling out of his mouth.  “I just wish you’d told me first.  So that I didn’t have to heard about it from Malcolm.  His speculations were bordering on downright lascivious.”

 

T’Pol at least had the grace to look chagrined.  “I apologise.  It was a...spontaneous act, I did not think of the long-term effects, nor the fact that...feelings would be hurt.”

 

“Yeah, well...still.”  He cleared his throat.  “Hurt feelin’s notwithstanding, can we still be friends?”

 

T’Pol looked surprised and...was that relief?  “If that is what you desire.  I have...missed our evenings together.”

 

Trip looked away.  “Well I don’t wanna, ya know, keep you from Hoshi or nothin’,” he mumbled.

 

“We do not spend every evening together.  It will not be complicated to find time to spend together,” T’Pol said.  “As we are doing right now.”

 

Trip rolled his eyes.  “Alright, alright.  But right now I need to be gettin’ on with…” He gestured vaguely at the object on the table that may or may not have been a sock.

 

T’Pol nodded, getting to her feet.  “Very well.  I will see you in the morning.”

 

“Yeah, see ya.”  Then, just before she reached the door: “Oh, and T’Pol?”  She paused, hand reaching for the door release.  “If you hurt Hoshi, I’m going to make you wish you never been born.”  It might have been a joke, but there was no trace of his usual smirk, no teasing light in his eyes.  “That’s a promise.”

 

T’Pol inclined her head in acknowledgement and left.

 

+1) Archer

 

Jon sat in the captain’s chair, ostensibly watching the viewscreen in front of him; in reality, he was indirectly keeping an eye on his First Officer and communications specialist respectively.  There wasn’t anything outwardly different about the way they treated each other - T’Pol was still more critical of Hoshi than of anyone else on the crew and Hoshi was still sensitive about T’Pol’s criticism - and they had always worked closely together before.  Just may not so physically close.

 

As Jon watched out of the corner of his eye, T’Pol leaned over Hoshi’s shoulder to point to something on her screen.  Hoshi frowned and murmured something snippy-sounding but too quiet for Jon to make out.  Everyone else on the bridge was minding their own business; nobody gave the two women so much as a second glance.  Business as usual.

 

But what would happen when business stopped being usual?

 

Jon sighed inaudibly.  T’Pol would never endanger a mission, even for her...whatever Hoshi was to her.  And wasn’t that at least part of the problem?  Jon always kept a special eye on Hoshi, some might even claim he coddled her a bit.  That was okay - if anyone on this ship needed a little coddling, it was Hoshi.  The thought that she was currently dating someone who would always put the mission before her life…well, it irked him just a little.  Or a lot.

 

He could put an end to it.  Hell, it was his duty to put an end to it.  T’Pol would never coerce a subordinate into a relationship, and Hoshi wouldn’t put up with anyone who tried, in reality he knew that.  But on paper, things looked a whole lot different.

 

The important question was: would their relationship endanger the crew should trouble arise?  Since with T’Pol it was all but a non-issue, that made Hoshi the wild card.  Would Hoshi throw a mission to save T’Pol?  Hoshi was tougher than she appeared, intelligent, calculating.  But emotional.  More emotional than most people on the ship.  Normally Jon considered it an asset - sometimes an emotional response to a situation was exactly what they needed.  But when that asset became an unknown factor in a potentially deadly situation-

 

A muffled snort to his left drew Jon’s full attention over to the communications station.  Hoshi sat there with both hands clamped over her mouth, her face slowly turning bright red.  T’Pol stood ramrod straight, staring reprovingly down at her.  But...was it Jon’s imagination or was that just the barest hint of a smirk on T’Pol’s lips?

 

“Sorry,” Hoshi muttered through her hands as everyone turned back to their business.

 

Jon schooled his face into something approaching admonition.  “Get back to work, Ensign,” he said, winking at her.  She smiled, dropping her hands back to her console.

 

Jon turned his gaze back to the viewscreen.  T’Pol smirking...it wasn’t exactly unheard of, but it usually occurred after he or Trip had done something particularly stupid.  Had T’Pol...intentionally been trying to get Hoshi to laugh?  Certainly not.

 

Jon tried to remember the last time a crewmember had complained about something T’Pol had done.  He searched his memory and came up with nothing.  One minor complaint about a difference of opinions regarding the proper cleaning of plasma injectors, but other than that, no one had had any real problems since their extended shore leave on Earth...the shore leave during which, Jon assumed, T’Pol and Hoshi had begun dating.  He’d assumed it was because everyone was in too good a mood after defeating the Xindi and getting a long vacation, but now he wondered if it wasn’t because T’Pol had adjusted her attitude a bit.

 

If that was because of Hoshi, then maybe the girl was more of a miracle worker than even Jon had considered.

  
Jon relaxed in his seat.  At the moment, it was a non-issue.  Everyone was happy and no one was in danger.  Far be it for the captain to disrupt what finally might be a peaceful balance among the crew.


	5. Epilogue

Hoshi punched in the lock override code on T’Pol’s door and slipped into the darkened room.  The only source of light was a couple of meditation candles burning atop a small chest of drawers.  T’Pol herself sat in front of them, but her posture was slumped, not at all the disciplined rigidity Hoshi was used to.  It made her nervous.

 

“You needn’t have done that,” T’Pol said quietly, not looking over.  “I would have let you in.”

 

“I know, but…” Hoshi trailed off, unsure of what to say.  Things had been so hectic ever since they had gotten word about the bombing at the Earth Embassy on Vulcan and had rushed off to help.  From there, T’Pol had discovered her mother was missing - a presumed affiliate of a terrorist faction called “Syrrannites” - and she and the Captain had disappeared into the depths of the Vulcan desert to find her and the other Syrrannites.  What had happened next, Hoshi had only heard bits and pieces, but she knew one thing: T’Pol’s mother was dead.  She knew the moment T’Pol had known, through their bond.  She had felt the grief course through her as though it had been her own.  “How are you?”

 

“I am -” fine, she meant to say.  The lie poised at the tip of her tongue, but she did not utter it.  Hoshi would know she was lying, and it would just cause undue stress.  “I am,” she concluded simply.  She existed.  She was still alive.  For now, that would have to be enough.

 

Hoshi knelt beside her t’hy’la and rested a hand on the back of T’Pol’s neck.  The muscles jumped at her touch, tensing and twitching before relaxing once more.  Hoshi could feel the deeply ingrained knots.  She began to knead lightly.  “S’ti th’laktra,” she murmured.  I grieve with thee.

 

T’Pol relaxed into her touch.  “It is unfortunate that you did not get a chance to meet Mother,” she said.

 

Hoshi smiled sadly.  “We would have gotten along?”

 

T’Pol raised an eyebrow.  “No,” she said, glancing at Hoshi out of the corner of her eye.  “But I would have liked to see her face when she realised you speak Vulcan.”

 

Hoshi’s hand stilled and she leaned her head against T’Pol’s shoulder.  “I would’ve liked to meet her anyway,” she said softly.  “Even if she wouldn’t have liked me.”

 

T’Pol’s hand drifted up to connect with the one still latched onto the back of her neck.  “She would have come to appreciate you eventually, once she had the chance to see all your strengths and intelligence.”

 

“I like to think so,” Hoshi sighed.  She placed a kiss on T’Pol’s cheek.  “There’s just one thing I don’t understand.  Trip said the Vulcan that helped you and the captain - this Koss guy - he’s your...your former fiancé?  But surely he must be mistaken because you never mentioned a fiancé.”

 

T’Pol’s hand slipped away from Hoshi’s and her back straightened as she hid herself beneath her usual stoic Vulcan demeanour.  She was pulling away from Hoshi mentally and emotionally if not physically, and Hoshi could’ve kicked herself for being so insensitive.  Still, why the hell hadn’t T’Pol ever mentioned the guy before.  “I did not mention him because he was irrelevant,” T’Pol informed her.  “I do not wish to speak about him right now.”

 

Hoshi took a deep breath, focusing her thoughts.  Her anger at information being kept from her was not pertinent right now; she had come to comfort her lover, not berate her.  She shifted so that she was sitting directly behind T’Pol and pushed her hands up into T’Pol’s hair.  T’Pol automatically leaned her head back into Hoshi’s touch.  Her shoulders and back relaxed inch by inch until she was all but leaning against Hoshi, her eyes closed.  She didn’t look exactly peaceful, but she had lost the air of helplessness that had surrounded her when Hoshi first entered the room.  Hoshi dug her fingers harder into T’Pol’s scalp, eliciting a tiny noise of contentment.

 

Several minutes later, T’Pol opened her eyes.  Hoshi’s hands stilled.  T’Pol pulled herself back into an erect position and turned around to face her t’hy’la.  “Thank you,” she said, placing her fingers against Hoshi’s in an intimate gesture.

 

“Any time,” Hoshi assured her, returning the gesture with a kiss.  “Do you want to...you know...talk?  About your mom?”

 

“Not at the moment.  I will...let you know when I am ready,” T’Pol said, not quite meeting her eye.

 

Hoshi wasn’t surprised, to be honest.  Actually, she was kind of impressed that T’Pol would even promise to talk to her at some point, even if that point was a long time coming.  A year ago - hell, a month ago - she would have insisted there was nothing to talk about.  “Okay.”  Her fingers curled around T’Pol’s in silent reassurance.  “I should probably go, then.”  She stood up.

 

“Stay?”

 

It was so quiet Hoshi wasn’t sure at first that she had heard correctly.  T’Pol looked up at her, eyes not quite pleading but certainly the closest to it that Hoshi had ever seen from her.  Hoshi blinked, surprised.  “Yeah, o-of course.”

 

Before Hoshi could ask any qualifying questions, T’Pol levered herself up into a standing position and pulled her into a tight embrace.  “Thank you.”

 

Hoshi hugged her back just as tightly.  “Don’t be silly,” she whispered.  “Of course I’ll stay any time you need me.”  She pressed a kiss against T’Pol’s neck.

 

T’Pol shifted her head slightly to capture Hoshi’s lips with her own.  While she had been down in The Forge, she hadn’t had time to miss her lover, but now that they were back on Enterprise, she felt an ache welling up inside her that she could not explain.  Without being aware of it, she was sending intimations of an urgent desire through their mental bond, and receiving them from Hoshi with threefold intensity.  She deepened the kiss, hands shifting, suddenly grasping for purchase.  She felt like she was falling and the only thing anchoring her to reality was Hoshi.

 

They moved towards the bed, clothes falling around them as they rushed to feel skin against skin.  It was fast, messy, bordering on delirious.  Within minutes they were both naked and rubbing against each other, kissing feverishly as hands roamed at will, making sure neither had sustained any lasting damage while they had been parted.  Hoshi found the scar left by the electrical discharge that had hit her, and slowed down just long enough to kiss every inch of it before T’Pol dragged her back up for another consuming kiss.

 

Their legs tangled together as they thrust against each other, hips seeking the perfect rhythm.  Hands clasped, fingers twined, breathing turned staccato as together they ascended towards climax.  It hit T’Pol first, washing over her in a wave of ecstasy and relief - and then through the mating bond, the same feelings coursed through Hoshi, sending her into an orgasm of her own.

 

As the overwhelming sensations subsided, Hoshi collapsed on the bed next to T’Pol.  The Vulcan waited until she was comfortable before rolling over and slinging one arm around her waist.  To say Hoshi was surprised would have been an understatement; T’Pol was never cuddly, not even after sex.  Still, she could understand, if not empathise.  She didn’t - knock on wood - know what it was like to lose a parent, even one with so strained a relationship as T’Pol and T’Les had.

  
Hoshi brought a hand up to stroke T’Pol’s hair.  T’Pol closed her eyes, revelling in the touch.


End file.
